One of the typical finds associated with the urnfield culture, which
started in the middle bronze age, is the often richly decorated bronze
knives. These are also the earliest metal knives in Europe, and are the
forerunners of all modern knives. Before this, the common cutting tool
was the dagger with a symmetrical blade with two cutting edges.

Mould

Material: clay & sand, fired

The mould consists of two halves, which had first been dried for several
days. I then cut the shape out of one of the mould halves. By pressing
the two halves together, an imprint was left on the other mould halve,
which was then cut out as well. Because this is a very small, and therefore
difficult item to cast, I added air vents. This should reduce resistance
from the air in the mould and make it easier for the bronze to enter the
mould. On the photo, the mould can be seen after firing.

Casting result

Fine casting work like this is at the limit of what can
be done with bronze, so I was expecting it would take several casts to
get a complete knife. So the first casts were unsuccesful, but eventually
I got a complete knife out of it.